BLACK ART HISTORY: Malick Sidibé

Succinctly put, Malick Sidibé was the photographer of black joy.

Originally from Soloba, Mali; he eventually set up a photo studio in Bamako. Starting with shooting events, men swooning women, and black Africans in their element, he eventually went on to focus solely on portrait work due to the rise in access to affordable cameras.

His imagery evokes a certain spirit and happiness which was intentional. Pulled from my Wikipedia research “I would give them positions that brought something alive in them.” Particularly interesting to me as I continue to dive into my roots and understanding of black culture in its reality versus the images we’ve been fed.

Not to mention: the 1960s-1970s fashion in these images makes me wish I could close my eyes to transport myself to that time, if just for a day.